Target NEO: Open Global Community NEO Workshop Report

DRAFT: RELEASED FOR PUBLIC COMMENTrisk can be reduced via more robust infrastructure, this approach is more costly than reductionsrealized through optimal launch timing and manifesting.Practical, affordable HSF missions result from visiting the most accessible NEOs. These missionsreduce IMLEO and the number of launches required because their short durations and minimalpropulsion requirements reduce habitation, consumables, shielding, and trash masses, together withthe volumes required to contain them. Due to the premium associated with NEO accessibility innear-term interplanetary HSF, a bigger return on investment is expected from better NEO surveysand tracking than from better HSF capability. In the longer term, improved HSF capability will berequired to access progressively more remote (and likely more interesting) NEOs leading to Marsorbit missions.3.5 Summary of Key Findings1. Catalog, characterize, and track NEOs down to 100-m diameter or less as thoroughly aspossible.2. Survey NEOs, particularly those with Earth-like orbits, from a deep space vantage to find themost appropriate HSF mission opportunities sufficiently in advance of their Earth departureseasons.3. Target initial HSF missions at the most accessible NEOs using conventional technology tothe greatest extent possible.4. Minimize the number of launches and assembly complexity leading to a HSF mission’s Earthdeparture for interplanetary space.5. Identify key HSF technologies and architectures relating to NEO mission opportunities.6. Adopt objective mission design metrics, such as IMLEO reflecting performance penaltiesinclusive of Earth departure asymptote declination, clearly documenting their architecturedependencies and assumptions.7. Whenever possible, plan a mission to a sequence of extended Earth departure seasons, likelytargeting multiple distinct NEOs, in order to accommodate unintended departure delays.4 NEO Characteristics for Safe and Meaningful Human ExplorationThis panel session was chaired by Andy Rivkin (Supervisor of the Planetary Astronomy Sectionin the The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory) and Paul Abell (Lead Scientistfor Planetary Small Bodies, NASA-JSC) and consisted of the following members:• Patrick Michel, Senior Researcher, University of Nice, CNRS, Cote d’Azur Observatory• Lance Benner, Research Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory• Joe Nuth, Senior Scientist, NASA NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterDRAFT: RELEASED FOR PUBLIC COMMENT 9